Meister Eckhart's pain sutras
Meister Eckhart was a 13th-century German theologian and mystic known for his profound and poetic insights into the nature of God and the soul's relationship to the Divine. What would he say about physical pain? Maybe this:
In the quiet cloisters of the soul, where the light of God shines undimmed, there lies a truth about our earthly sufferings, our bodily pains. They are but shadows cast by the world's light, and in the radiance of the Eternal, their form is transformed.
O, seeker of the Divine, know this: In each pang of the flesh, there is a call to awaken, a stern reminder of our transient sojourn in this mortal form. As the bell tolls in the monastery, marking the hours, so does pain mark the passage of our spirit through the corridors of time.
Let not your heart be troubled by the afflictions of the body, for they are fleeting as the morning mist. In the embrace of your pain, find a silent teacher. It speaks of detachment, of the need to release your grasp on the ephemeral, and to turn your gaze inward, to the eternal spark within.
Pain, in its piercing sharpness, cuts through the illusions of the world. It brings forth a stark clarity: that we are not merely flesh and bone, but souls enroute to a divine union. As the fire refines the gold, so can pain refine our spirit, stripping away the dross of worldly attachments.
In your suffering, remember the Christ, who bore the greatest pain, not just of the body but of the world. In His suffering, find the strength to bear your own. In His silence on the cross, find the courage to endure.
Seek not to flee your pain, but to understand it. In its depths, there is a hidden blessing, a pathway that leads to a deeper communion with God. For in the heart of suffering lies a secret joy, the joy of drawing nearer to the Divine, of being shaped and molded by the hand of God.
So, embrace your pain, not as an enemy, but as a companion on your journey to God. Let it teach you humility, patience, and compassion. Let it remind you of your ultimate destination, where all pain is transmuted into unspeakable joy, in the everlasting presence of the Divine.